"For My people are foolish, they have not known Me. They are silly children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge."

"For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes. And first I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols."

Jeremiah 4:22; 16:17,18 NKJV

In the mid 14th Century an unprecedented disaster struck in western Europe. Nearly half the population was wiped out from Bubonic Plague which came to be known as the "Black Death" due to the skin of the victims turning a dark gray color. The disease was carried by infected rats on the ships of sailors returning from Asia where the plague killed an estimated 35 million Asian people. Fleas living on the blood of the infected rats transferred the disease to people.

There is a plague of another kind which has its own brand of lethal effects on victims of all ages -- the pornography plague!

It is an industry that is in rapid expansion mode and if not already, it most certainly will be an enterprise that involves billions of dollars.

A major part of the expansion in such a rapid manner is due to the pornography industry's successful invasion of the internet with very little restraint. Persons who would never consider entering an adult bookstore or a XXX rated movie theater in some slum section of a city can indulge in a pornographic diet in the privacy of their homes as they log on to the internet by personal computer!

Those in the "business" have literally gone on the offensive with an aggressive campaign which concentrates on massive emailing of links to their web sites. It is difficult to curb this even with "filters" because the emails in some cases appear innocent and even the addresses may not indicate the true nature of what the content of the site is -- it's the old Trojan horse strategy with a perverted 21st Century twist!

The human race has from the time that Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden because of their rebellion against God demonstrated an uncanny ability to twist, pervert, and ultimately destroy beautiful gifts God has given to us humans. The gift of our sexuality is no exception and because of the powerful drives involved in this gift, it often becomes the center of attention and involvement.

Both Biblical and secular history reveal human interest in sexuality and the inclination to totally ignore God's specific laws as to how we express and experience sexuality without doing great damage to ourselves, others, and our culture as a whole.

The boundaries for sexual relationships as God has revealed them limit such to the committed marriage bond between one man and one woman.
Violation of this divine law on human sexuality will result in some kind of pain and harm taking place in the lives of those guilty of the violations.

Violations involve not just literal sexual activity between 2 or more individuals, but in the trafficking of recorded images and sounds of such activity by whatever means -- a sort of "accessory" to a criminal act sort of thing!

The 20th Century saw great technological advances which enabled the pornography enterprise to literally become "big business" involving huge numbers of people -- those involved in production and distribution and those who purchased and consumed the product.

Upon the advent of the 21st Century the porno plague exists all over the world with some few exceptions. Those exceptions are mainly in countries where Islam is in control -- pornography traffickers along with sodomites and lesbians do not publicly advertise who and what they are or do -- you cannot claim "civil rights" to engage in these kinds of activities -- you cannot engage in public and official awareness of your immoral lifestyles, nor can you engage in a business in which you sell materials that portray images of a wide variety of perverted and immoral sexual activities -- you could lose your head literally over such involvement -- many already have!

By use of print media, audio/visual media, and the internet we have been flooded with material that sends a loud message saying, "God, we don't care what Your standards on sexuality are -- we will do what we want, anywhere, anytime, and with anyone or anything, even an animal!"

As the revenue taken in by those in the porno industry continues to accelerate so the "buffet" offered to the public is expanded and "specialized" in order to attract all customers no matter how twisted and perverted the appetite may be.

As you enter the "porno buffet" you will find such menu items as:

sexual intercourse under a variety of circumstances and settings -- male/female or a group setting of 3 or more persons -- the latter sometimes identified as "gang bang" situations, particularly if it involves one female and two or more males!

sodomite and lesbian sexual activity

"specialty" web sites featuring such subjects as:

that great invention called the web cam which permits individuals, couples, and groups to engage in sexual activity which is transmitted over the internet via a web site -- and always the privilege of total unrestricted viewing involves a subscription price, paid in advance! The advantage is that participants can do all this in the privacy of a home environment and make a bundle of bucks in the process!

the "deflowering" of virgins and "first time" sexual experiences -- such incidents recorded on film are available for viewing for a hefty subscription "fee" of course!

"mature" -- that is, older people such as those who are sometimes billed as grandparents

sadism/masochism, and bondage -- usually females are dominant in this garbage

"barely legal" teens

racial and mixed racial such as blacks, blacks & whites, oriental, Russian, Indian, Arab, etc. Actually this business has literally turned into an industry with a "United Nations" type of hype!

college/university partying which involves a variety of sexual activities -- videotaped and available for viewing for a subscription fee mainly by a breed described just below as "sexual predators!" These vermin prowl college and university campuses and entice students to participate in a wide variety of sexual activity which is recorded and placed on a web site for viewing -- yes, for a fee which a number are willing to pay!

sexual predators -- these characters cruise about seeking women with whom they can engage in sexual activity -- the encounters are video taped and then listed on a web site -- customers pay a subscription price for the privilege of viewing these encounters -- these lowest of low life specimens brag on the fact that their "conquests" involve married women with children! Of course, it's a two way street -- these females have to cooperate and be willing to participate, which seems to be quite acceptable. Some of these details are given as informational background to entice the prospective customer! Settings for these escapades include vans, apartments, boats, and the great outdoors!

rape -- another type of predator, but this one enjoys violently forcing females to engage in sexual activity -- as noted previously, encounters are recorded on video and made available for viewing by paying a subscription fee.

beastiality -- sexual activity with animals seems to have an appeal for some people, so the industry offers this item for viewing -- if you pay a subscription fee, of course!

incest -- the emphasis is on keeping it all within the family -- blood relatives sexually involved with one another -- mothers & sons, fathers & daughters, brothers & sisters, aunts, uncles, nephews, and nieces -- just put the subscription fee on your credit card and view how very different it is in some households!

"stores" which list various items related to sexual activity ranging from condoms, creams, sex "toys," to full length films on video and DVD -- businesses remind you that you can shop online with your ordered items delivered in "discreet" packaging!

web sites that specialize in offering "affairs" -- that is, persons who want to engage in sexual encounters with others without any kind of commitment can connect (no pun intended) with others with same interests -- these are usually highly organized with search abilities to locate persons in your local geographic area

chat rooms with X-rated conversation, and these often lead to later personal encounters involving sexual activity for the participants -- it all starts by talking over the internet, with one thing leading to another! More than one marriage has self destructed due to a thing that started in a chat room!

persons who specialize in photography and video taping who "advertise" on a web site and solicit persons to pose or to engage in sexual activity for which a generous amount of money will be paid!

other "specialties" which won't be identified and which are even more repulsive than those already mentioned!

as this "plague" spreads like a California wildfire out of control it is further fueled by a spin off business enterprise -- those who advertise on the internet with enticing information as to how profitable and easy it is to set up a porno web site and start raking in the dollars! Books are available giving details as to how to get into the "business" as well as other web sites in which for a fee you can be instructed and get started on the way to making a fortune. The emphasis is always on how easy it is, how cheap it is, and how private it is when it comes to setting up your own porno business on line!

Here's what's happening -- those involved in porn production and distribution are very aggressive and their "campaign" has been extremely profitable. When greed totally enslaves a person and that person's moral sensitivities have been willfully deadened just as a dentist deadens the nerve of a tooth with novocaine then that person will resort to anything in order to gain money -- and anyone of any age becomes a target in the "campaign!"

In spite of "filters," children can in a number of cases access the ads which can be very graphic leaving nothing to the imagination. Words or letter combinations which have no hint of sexual activity can be thrown into a search engine and a hoard of porno site listings can be brought up. While a number may make a pretense of declaring the site off limits for those under "legal" age with the so-called warnings that those under age 18 are not to enter, the fact is that children can access sites without giving a credit card number and view "samples" of material which is available through paid subscription. It is also possible to download sample video clips for free with no credit card required -- the strategy here is to entice the prospective customer to the extent that he/she will want the whole thing which is only available by paying an amount of money. Another way of obtaining the material is by a phone hookup at a piracy rate paid by the minute -- a small fortune to say the least, but enticing because these are often promoted as being "live" -- the actual event taking place in the present!

Some ways to fight the battle:

if you get an email solicitation from a pornographic site, report the site to legal authorities -- you must be able to provide an address, and some description of content -- this is required on the questionnaire you fill out -- Obscenity Crimes provides this information and the links in which you do this. Here are very helpful links you will find at that site:

try to keep informed as to what is happening regarding this moral crisis -- again, the above Obscenity Crimes link plus Morality in Media provide excellent information and resources.

If you want to have your computer "checked out," go to Content Watch -- you can arrange for a scan of files, and if there is anything objectionable, you can have it deleted.

Also at the Content Watch site is an excellent article about the strategies employed by those aggressively pushing pornography on the internet -- you can read it at Tricks Pornographers Play written by Jerry Ropelato. Use return feature on browser to come back here.

be involved in your community when porno "businesses" try to move in and become established -- check with township supervisors or city council members, etc. At times you can speak through a letter to the local newspaper editor -- "Letters to the Editor" are widely read, and the expression of convictions in that column can help to challenge other people on important moral issues.

prayer is a weapon we do not utilize enough -- pray against the deeds of the wicked and remember the promise of what the Holy Spirit will do when the enemy comes in like a flood! (See Psalm 141:5; Isaiah 59:19)

"...You have had a harlot's forehead; you refuse to be ashamed."

"When I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were like well-fed lusty stallions; every one neighed after his neighbor's wife.
Shall I not punish them for these things?" says the LORD. "And shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?"

Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be cast down," says the LORD. Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'

"So you shall say to them, 'This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.'"

Jeremiah 3:3b; 5:7b-9; 6:15,16; 7:28 NKJV

It is time for You to act, O LORD, for they have regarded Your law as void. Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold! Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way.

Psalm 119:126-128 NKJV

++++++++++++++++

April 21, 2003
by Clayton D. Harriger
Elder in Full Connection
W. PA Annual Conference
The United Methodist Church
and presently pastor of
Gipsy Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Gipsy PA

For comments, questions, or just plain old axe grinding, contact C. D. Harriger by clicking on Penelope, efficient mail hostess of CR's Range, and she will bring up the pre-addressed email form for you to fill out and send.